Why is Tet so vibrant and festive?

A Filipino couple celebrates Lunar New Year in Ho Chi Minh City, January 2025. Photo: Linh Huynh .

From lanterns and red envelopes to lion dance drums and firecrackers, Lunar New Year in most Asian countries shares a common identifying code: vibrant red and lively sounds.

In fact, this uniformity is not a coincidence. In the structure of New Year's celebrations, communities always need strong enough signals to clearly distinguish between the old year and the new year. Colors and sounds therefore play a role as cultural markers.

AP News noted that the core spirit of Lunar New Year is to ward off bad luck and welcome good fortune, with red considered an auspicious color and lively activities such as fireworks and lion/dragon dances being part of the way to celebrate the new year.

From a psychological perspective , red is a highly prominent color that easily evokes feelings of warmth, vibrancy, and vibrancy in crowded spaces. Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) is a time when communities need a clear visual cue to transition from everyday life to celebration; red perfectly fulfills that role.

From a cultural storytelling perspective , the color red is further reinforced by folk legends about warding off evil. Chinese folk tales often tell of the "Nian" monster – a creature that causes trouble at the end of the year. Ancient people believed that the "Nian" feared the color red and loud noises, so they hung red decorations and set off firecrackers to ward off bad luck and pray for a peaceful new year. Over time, the meanings of "red to ward off bad luck" and "noise to ward off evil" spread, becoming part of the collective memory of the Lunar New Year in many places.

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Locals and tourists watch a vibrant lion dance performance at the Jewel Changi Airport complex in Singapore on the evening of February 16. Photo: Reuters.

If red is the "visual signal," then noise is the "auditory signal." Most New Year celebrations require loud sounds to herald the arrival of the new year and create a sense of excitement. For the Lunar New Year, the sound of firecrackers and lion dance drums is particularly prominent because they share a common logic: warding off evil and welcoming good fortune.

Lunar New Year celebrations typically last for several days, with many activities taking place in the streets; the sounds of lion dance drums and fireworks create a general feeling that "the whole city is celebrating Tet," unlike other holidays that are confined to family.

Therefore, although specific customs may differ between Vietnam, China, or Korea, the two elements of red and liveliness are still easily found in many places because they are a "common language" to mark a new beginning.

However, the "noisy" Tet holiday is changing with the times. National Geographic notes that the tradition of setting off firecrackers is tending to decline in some places due to air pollution restrictions and safety regulations. As firecrackers are curbed, many communities are turning to less smoky versions: fireworks displays, lion dances, light festivals, or simply the sounds of family reunions.